


Muddled Origins

by banksiana



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Book 2, F/F, F/M, Season 2, Toph is gay, airbender descendants, toph is the biggest lesbian ive ever seen, wlw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:26:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24867550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/banksiana/pseuds/banksiana
Summary: The GAang encounter a helpful stranger. She turns out to not exactly be who she seems. Original female character. Set before the episode "Bitter Work".
Comments: 3
Kudos: 20





	1. Chapter 1

"Okay guys, let's set up camp. Then we'll spread out and look for any supplies we can find. Bedtime right after." Sokka knew sleep was much needed. But food was running low and they needed to push through. 

"Can't we just sleep?" Toph collapsed to the ground with a thud, earthbending a comfortable sleeping spot. 

"C'mon Toph, we can sleep soon." Katara whined. "You need food to eat too." Toph huffed but didn't respond, not having the energy to argue. 

"Guys, please. Let's just get this stuff done so we can sleep." Aang jumped into Appa's saddle, Momo dutifully supervising. Aang began throwing sleeping bags down to Sokka. Toph began to sit up and jumped when her feet hit the ground. Toph punched her hand into the air, rocks crumbling in the tree line behind her. 

"Someone's hiding in the bushes!" Everyone immediately stood at attention. Water, earth, air, and boomerang were all poised to attack. 

"Come out!" Aang's voice was stern. "We don't want to hurt you." Azula’s recent attacks had everyone on edge. The group advanced on the area. When they reached the edge of the foliage, the group relaxed. 

A young girl in earth kingdom clothing was sitting on the ground, rubbing her side. Her hair was dark brown, hanging down to her waist. Bright gray eyes stared up at the earthbender that attacked her.

"You've got good aim." The mysterious girl addressed Toph. "Knocked the wind right out of me." Everyone relaxed slightly, but were still weary of the stranger. 

"Who are you?" Katara asked. The girl dragged her gaze from Toph to finally take in the rest of the group. Upon seeing Aang, she froze. 

"The avatar." She gasped. The girl got to her feet and respectfully bowed. “The last airbender.” 

“Who are you?” Katara asked again. Exhaustion, suspicion, and frustration were not allowing anyone to be patient. 

“I’m a friend to the avatar. I only want to help.” The girl kneeled down and bowed her head. “My name is Yeshi. My people and I have been waiting for your return.” Toph laughed.

“You and everyone else.” Toph slapped Aang’s shoulder. Aang scratched his head, unsure how to respond.

“Uh, good to know I’ve got friends all across the world.” Aang reached his hand down to help Yeshi up. “My name is Aang.” The new girl hesitated before grabbing the hand that was offered. “Who are your people?” 

“I’m from a small village far from here. I’ve heard stories all my life of the avatar. People thought you were gone but we all knew you’d return. We knew your spirit was still alive. When word got out that you were back and traveling the world, I knew I needed to come find you. To see for myself.” Yeshi rambled. Yeshi turned to the avatar’s companions. Katara took a step forward. 

“My name is Katara, this is my brother Sokka. And this is Toph.” Katara continued with the introductions that Aang started. Momo flew over and landed on Yeshi’s shoulder, giving her a tentative sniff.

“A winged lemur?” Yeshi said in wonder. “Amazing!” Yeshi scratched Momo’s chin, earning his trust. Momo happily licked the girl's hand.

“That’s Momo. You know about winged lemurs? Didn’t think the average earth kingdom citizen would.” Sokka asked. 

“Of course! I grew up hearing stories about them. And the flying bisons.” Yeshi turned as if she suddenly remembered the avatar would be traveling with the enormous beast. “He’s beautiful.”

“Would you like to meet him?” Aang asked. Despite his exhaustion, Aang felt the need to entertain anyone so interested in anything to do with the air nomads.

“Could I?” Yeshi asked, already making her way toward the bison. Aang jumped and bent the air to land in front of Appa.

“Of course. Appa, this is a new friend.” Aang said. Yeshi chuckled.

“Hello Appa.” She offered her hand out for the bison to sniff. “What a beautiful beast.” Appa roared in approval. Yeshi giggled and hugged Appa’s fluffy head. Aang let out a large yawn and rubbed Appa’s face.

“Oh my, I’m so sorry.” Yeshi apologized. “You all must be so tired.” Yeshi addressed Aang and his approaching friends.

“You said it.” Toph yawned. “We’ve been running from crazy firebenders all day.” Toph dramatically flopped onto the ground, using her earthbending to catch herself. Yeshi visibly cringed at Toph’s statement.

“Don’t worry.” Sokka addressed Yeshi’s concern. “None of them followed us. We’re safe from any jerkbenders.” Yeshi nodded sheepishly.

“Jerkbenders? Really?” Katara said. Sokka shrugged. 

"What? Have you ever met a firebender you liked?" Sokka countered. Katara sighed.

“I- uh, I’ll let you guys get some sleep.” Yeshi backed toward the direction she had come. 

“Do you have somewhere to go?” Aang asked. "You said you traveled to find us.” When Yeshi hesitated, Katara spoke up.

“You’re welcome to a spot around our fire.” Katara offered. Aang nodded. 

“Well, as long as you pull your own weight.” Sokka said, earning an elbow to the ribs from Toph. Yeshi smiled with gratitude. 

“Of course. It would be an honor to help you guys in any way.” She nodded. “How may I assist?" 

Sokka began delegating the work needed before the group could finally rest. Aang and Sokka were to set up camp, Katara was to find food, and Toph and Yeshi were to find supplies for a fire. The group hurriedly worked, eager to end the day. 

“So which Earth Kingdom region did you grow up in?” Toph’s question caught Yeshi off guard. The two had been quietly picking up branches and sticks when Toph broke the silence.

“Oh- uh, outside of Omashu.” Yeshi answered. “But people from my village moved around a bunch. Nowhere really feels like home. Always traveling.” She quickly added. 

“That must have been nice. I never got to see the world until recently.” Toph said. “I had a very sheltered childhood. But I ran away from home to teach Aang earthbending.” 

“Woah, that must have been hard. I appreciate your sacrifice.” Yeshi responded. “It is my dream to help the avatar defeat the tyrannical firelord.”

“Yeah, that’s the goal. First we’ve got a lot of work to get there.” Yeshi nodded and then briefly wondered if Toph could even tell.

“So you can see the world with your earthbending?” Yeshi tentatively asked, not wanting to ask anything too personal.

“Pretty much. I can sense vibrations through the earth. It gives me a picture of the world. It comes in handy.” Toph said. 

“I can imagine.” Yeshi smiled. Yeshi had never heard of earthbending being used in such a way. 

“So, how did you plan to help the avatar?” Toph asked. “I’m sure collecting firewood wasn’t high up on your list.”

“I can’t say it was.” Yeshi laughed. “I suppose I just wanted to do whatever I could. I know he’s young. Learning all four elements to defeat the firelord is quite a task.”

“Are you an earthbender?” Toph asked excitedly. Yeshi shook her head.

“No.” she answered quickly. “But I’ve studied different styles and forms from all nations. Maybe I wouldn’t be of great help. I’m not sure. Any help I can give I will. Even if it's just a few twigs.” Yeshi rambled. “We should probably be getting back to camp, it’s getting dark out.” Yeshi’s attempt to change the topic seemed to work.

“Like darkness ever hurt anyone.” Toph laughed. Yeshi chuckled too. 

As the two made their way back to camp, the chill of the night began to creep up. Despite being in a warmer region, the nights still required some way to keep warm. Yeshi noted Toph’s slight shiver and sped up her walking in return. 

Entering the camp area, Yeshi and Toph approached Aang and Sokka. A sleeping area was set up and Sokka was relaxing. Aang was rifling through Appa’s saddle. Yeshi and Toph dropped the wood they had collected and Yeshi began assembling a campfire.

“All this wood is wet. It’ll never light!” Sokka complained. Toph crossed her arms and huffed. 

“Excuse me. It rained! What do you expect?” Toph shot back.

“It’s freezing! What? Are we just going to suffer frostbite?” Sokka said.

“Guys! Relax. I’ll waterbend to dry the wood when I’m done.” Aang yelled. Sokka huffed. “Sokka, it’d go a lot faster if you’d help.” Aang snapped. Sokka grumbled as he went off to help. Toph shivered as Yeshi continued to assemble the wood. 

“You okay, Toph?” Yeshi asked. 

“Perfect. Just cold is all.” Toph shifted her body closer to Yeshi. “You’re warm though.” Despite having only just met, Toph enjoyed the heat that seemed to radiate off the newcomer. Yeshi looked over her shoulder, seeing that the boys were occupied. She turned her attention back to the damp wood.   
Yeshi had come primarily to assist the avatar. But helping his friends would surely help him. And she was growing fond of Toph. 

After a bit of fussing with the wet timber, Toph felt heat radiating from the direction of the fire.

“Hey, you got it to light?” 

“Yeah, there was a bit of dry wood on one of the branches. I guess it was shielded from the rain earlier.” Yeshi said. “Hopefully it doesn’t go out.”

Sokka and Aang soon joined the two girls, Katara approaching the group in the distance. Yeshi smiled as the boys approached. 

“Oh good, you got the fire going.” Aang said with a smile, seemingly happy that the final task of the day was done. 

“How? All the wood was soaked.” Sokka said.

“Oh,” Yeshi said. “I found some dry pieces under the rest.” Sokka looked confused. 

“I thought I looked through them all.” He answered.

“Oh, who cares?” Toph laid back onto the ground. “Fire is fire.” Sokka stared at Yeshi questioningly, who turned her complete attention to the approaching Katara.

“Hey.” Katara called.

“Get anything good?” Aang asked. As Katara listed off her finds, Sokka kept looking between the woodpile and Yeshi, who dutifully avoided his eye contact. 

“Well, I’m beat.” Toph’s voice pulled Yeshi and Sokka’s attention away from one another. 

“Me too.” Aang agreed, with water tribe siblings nodding as well. The five travelers settled in for the night, eager to get a good night's sleep. 

Yeshi wasn’t nearly as tired as the rest of the group and found herself waking intermittently throughout the night. She took that time to tend to the fire, to keep her new friends warm. Yeshi rummaged through the pile of soaked wood and threw the biggest piece she could find onto the pile. The soaked log quelled the fire momentarily before the fire roared back to life, as alive as ever.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I have the next few chapters of this finished already but I will wait to post them to see if anyone has any construction criticism. Please let me know if you see any mistakes or if anyone seems out of character :)

Though the night was peaceful, the wake up call was not. Sokka heard the buzzing first, rubbing his eyes to find the source. 

"Wow, what huge birds." Sokka yawned. 

"What?" Katara rolled over. Squinting at her brother, Katara wondered if he was sleep talking again. 

"Birds." Was all Sokka said as he closed his eyes once again. Katara turned to see the birds he felt the need to point out. Except, they weren't birds. Giant flying insects. One of which had its head in the food Katara had just gathered. Great.

"Wake up! Angry looking insects." Katara pulled water from her pouch, ready to strike. The rest of the group woke slowly at first. But the sight of enemies stealing their food was a good motivator. 

"Not fair! They're like half the size of Appa!" Sokka whined.

"Where are they?" Toph yelled. Sokka pointed to a large insect that was quickly approaching. 

"There!" Sokka shouted back. Toph swiftly sent a rock in it's direction, knocking it out of the sky. A quick flurry of action followed.   
Water whipped to defend food rations, rocks and boomerang flew to defend Appa, and whirlwinds knocked the bugs out of the air.

"Avatar! Your lemur!" Yeshi's scream pulled Aang's attention. Yeshi was throwing rocks at an insect with Momo in it's grip. Any attempts Aang made to reach his small companion were blocked by additional bugs. 

Yeshi kept attacking in the meantime, gaining the attention of the wasp. Raising her arms and shouting, Yeshi lured the creature toward the group.

Yeshi continued her attacks, skillfully dodging it’s strikes. Yeshi danced in a circle around the aggressor, grabbing rocks to attack it whenever possible. She picked up another rock, aiming for the wasp's head, when the rock was pulled from her grip.

The rock she had been holding hit it square in the face. The beast squealed in pain and released Momo. 

"You're just as bad as Twinkle Toes. Were you fighting him or trying to get him to dance with you?" Toph teases Yeshi. The two stood back to back, covering each other's blind spots. 

"It's harder to throw rocks when you have to lift them by hand." Yeshi said. Toph laughed and elbowed Yeshi. "Ow!"

"You know what? You're alright." Toph said, a grin on her face. Before Yeshi could respond, Sokka was yelling for help. A horde of insects had Appa and Sokka surrounded. Toph and Yeshi ran over to help. 

“Get out of here you flying morons!” Sokka shouted as he threw his boomerang.

“Not your best insult.” Toph taunted. “On your left!” 

An insect came up behind Sokka and lifted it’s head. The bug growled and shot a web of silk at Sokka, encasing him.

“Gross!” Sokka shouted. He struggled to break free as he fell to the ground. “Ew, get it off!” Sokka squealed. Yeshi rushed over. She tried to pull the sticky silk off but before she could, the insect shot another web at her. 

“Oh, gross!” Yeshi said. 

“Now you know my pain.” Sokka said dejectedly. The attacking insect rushed toward the two incapacitated people. Toph sent a rock flying toward the beast. The rock missed its mark, Toph was having trouble locating the airborne attacker.

“You two are hopeless.” Toph yelled. Toph flicked her wrist. Sokka and Yeshi felt the ground rumble beneath them. A swift jab in the air flipped the earth beneath the immobilized pair. The two screamed as they were sunken into the earth, darkness engulfing them. 

“Toph! Are you kidding?” Sokka shouted.

“What happened? Where are we?” Yeshi panicked. “Did she put us in the ground?”

“Seems so.” Sokka sighed. 

“Huh. Well what do we do now?” Yeshi asked. Sokka shrugged.

“Know any good jokes?” 

"Uh," Yeshi thought for a moment, "Do you wanna hear a pretty solid joke about water?"

"Yeah." Sokka said. 

"Ice." Yeshi answered. It took Sokka a moment before erupting into laughter. 

"That's a good one. I've got to remember that one." Sokka sighed.

"What did the earthbender say when he stepped in the mud?" Yeshi asked. After a moment she answered herself, "oh, my shoe! Get it? Like Omashu." Sokka found that one just as funny as the last. 

While Sokka and Yeshi exchanged puns, the benders continued to attack. After successfully defending their food rations, Katara and Aang moved to help Toph. Driving off the last of the bugs wasn’t too difficult with three elements on their side. As the last insect flew off, the three benders took a moment to catch their breath. 

“Hey, where’s Sokka?” Aang asked. “His boomerang is on the ground over here.”

“And where’s Yeshi?” Katara added. 

Toph leaned down and placed her hand on the ground, searching for the two. “They’re over here.”

"What do you mean?" Aang's question was answered when Toph opened up the ground in front of her. She lifted the two up on a slab of earth. 

"I mean that they're right here." Toph said, looking proud of herself. 

"Toph! Are you kidding? You hid us in the ground?!" Sokka yelled. 

"You guys were in trouble. I had to do something. Would you rather the bug carry you off to who knows where?" Toph shrugged. Katara took Sokka's boomerang and began sawing away at the sticky web that the two were still stuck in. 

"Gross!" Sokka yelled. "It's so slimy!" 

"Oh stop complaining." Katara said. "I'm sure there'll be somewhere to wash off close by."

"I sure hope so." Yeshi said. 

"Wait, I've got it." Aang jumped up in front of Yeshi and Sokka, striking down with his staff. A huge gust of air pushed the two back, blowing some of the slimy residue off them. Their hair stood up and their clothes were disheveled, but most of the residue was gone.

"Gee, thanks." Sokka said dejectedly. 

"I guess that's one problem solved." Yeshi laughed. 

"Alright, I think if this morning's wake up call has taught us anything, it's that you," Toph pointed at Aang, "Need to seriously start earthbending training." 

"What makes you say that?" Sokka asked. 

"Danger is around every corner! No better time to learn than right now." Toph said. Aang nodded in agreement. 

"She's right. I need to start on the next element." Aang said. “I’m going to be an earthbender!” Aang cheered. 

"Oh, forget the elements." Sokka teased. "Non-benders are where it's at. I'm sure you could just take down the firelord with a few boomerang lessons." Sokka put his arm around Yeshi's shoulder to emphasize his point. "Don't you agree Yeshi?" Yeshi awkwardly laughed but didn't respond. 

"Weren't the non-benders the ones hidden for safe keeping?" Katara teased. Katara took Yeshi's discomfort for offense and apologized. "Oh, uh- Sorry Yeshi. Non-benders are fine. Sokka just likes to pretend he's better than everyone else." 

"Yes, yes. Non-benders and benders, we all have our strengths and weaknesses." Yeshi rambled. She quickly turned to Toph. "Is this a good area to begin your training with the Avatar?"

"Not quite." Toph admitted. "We'll want a big open space to start." Sokka took the opportunity to pull out his map. He examined it carefully before deciding on a spot. 

"Ah-ha! Looks like if we keep going a bit there's a natural spring. Water, open space, and earth! Perfect." Sokka said.

"Perfect for training Aang or perfect for a day of relaxation for you." Katara teased.

"Wrong to both. A perfect day of relaxation for me and my new non-bending friend." Sokka once again put his arm around Yeshi who laughed at his antics. "What was that one joke you told me? Something about an earthbender and dirty shoes?" Sokka asked, leading Yeshi and the rest of the group toward Appa.

Sokka enthusiastically told jokes incorrectly to an equally unenthusiastic audience. Most of the people climbing into Appa's saddle hoped it would be a quick trip.


	3. Chapter 3

One quick trip on Appa took the group to the place Sokka had pointed out on his map. Appa roared as the group came over a ridge, revealing a beautiful oasis. The group collectively gasped.

A natural spring of clear water sat on the center of a clearing. The clearing was filled with beautiful wildflowers. Yellows, whites, and pinks covered the ground below. The meadow was protected with a wall of lush trees on every side. Appa soared down toward the water without Aang directing him too.

"Woah, buddy!" Aang laughed. "Hold on, everyone!" 

Appa landed next to the pool of water with a thud. The bison roared as everyone got off and Aang sent a blast of air to knock off his saddle. 

"Okay buddy, enjoy!" Aang said after he hugged his beloved companion. Appa licked Aang and dove into the water. Aang and Momo were quick to follow, diving in as Aang encouraged Katara to join him. 

"Woah! No way twinkle toes. We're here to work." Toph called. Aang frowned but swam over to the rest of the group. "There will be plenty of time to play after you move your first rock." Toph and Aang moved off to start their lessons. 

"Well, I'm gonna go look for some food." Sokka announced.

"There's plenty of food in my bag." Katara said.

"Any meat?"

"No. Can't you go just one day without meat?" Sokka shook his head no. 

"Whatever." Katara rolled her eyes as Sokka made his way toward the woods. "Yeshi, do you mind helping me set up camp? Looks like we won't be getting any help from anyone else."

"Of course." Yeshi said, beginning the process of unloading the saddle on the ground. 

"Great, you start setting up tents and I'll go get fresh drinking water, okay?" 

"Sounds good. You'll probably be faster than I would be at collecting water." Yeshi said. Katara laughed.

"Yeah, I guess I would be." Katara said.

The two girls worked around each other comfortably, finishing the set up just as the afternoon began to shift to twilight. Yeshi worked on constructing a campfire after Katara mentioned she was going to go looking for the rest of their companions. It didn’t take long for Katara to return with the three.

“How did it go?” Yeshi called to the group.

“I’m an earthbender!” Aang yelled.

“I’m a great teacher.” Toph boasted.

“I almost got eaten by a saber toothed moose lion.” Sokka said, collapsing in front of Yeshi’s fire. The group excitedly told stories of their day until darkness fell around them. Aang chattered about how excited he was to properly enjoy their spot tomorrow. But earthbending had taken its toll on the young Avatar. Aang and the rest of the group didn’t have any trouble falling right to sleep.

The Next Day

The pool the group had settled at proved to be a nice spot. Plenty of space for Aang to practice waterbending and begin his earthbending training. Not that Aang was particularly interested in either of those things right now.

"Katara, watch this!" Aang yelled. The airbender leapt off of Appa and used his water bending to create a huge splash, drenching the sky bison. Appa roared and Katara laughed, preparing to make a bigger splash. 

"Would you two supernatural freaks watch where you splash?" Sokka yelled. "You got my hair all wet." Katara rolled her eyes. 

"What? Can't handle a little water?" The siblings kept up their arguing until it turned into a full on water fight.

"Toph, you don't want to come in? The water's so nice." Yeshi, who had been enjoying the show, swam over to where Toph was sitting with her feet in the water. 

"No, I'll stay where I can see." Toph answered. Yeshi nodded until she realized Toph probably couldn't see her in the water.

"That's understandable. Let me know if you change your mind." Yeshi said. Yeshi began treading water, watching Aang, Katara, and Sokka compete to see who could create the biggest splash. 

Sokka was no match for the two waterbenders but it was nice to see him still try. "Go Sokka!" Yeshi cheered, figuring that if he wasn't going to win, at least someone would be cheering him on.

“So what’d you do all of yesterday? Didn’t see much of you.” Toph asked, her feet kicking in the water. 

“Scavenging mostly. Helped Katara set up camp.” Yeshi answered.

“So you just got bossed around all day. That sounds awful.” Toph said, causing Yeshi to laugh. 

“Katara’s not so bad. We actually got along great. Besides, didn’t you just boss Aang around all day?” Yeshi asked. 

“Pretty much.” Toph answered. “Twinkle toes wasn’t an easy student to teach but I figured it out.” Toph bragged. As if to prove Toph’s point, Aang yelled and lifted the earth beneath him, raising him into the air. He leapt off the jagged pillar, creating the biggest splash yet. 

"Hey, Yeshi?" Toph called. 

"Yeah?"

"I think there's a spot over there," Toph pointed to her left, "Where the water isn't very deep. I think I could be in it with my feet still hitting the ground." Toph was asking a question without actually asking it. Yeshi wasted no time, knowing that Toph could change her mind at any second. 

"C'mon," Yeshi got out of the water and grabbed Toph's hand. She led the earthbender to the spot she had pointed out and they took slow steps into the water. 

"I think this is deep enough." Toph said. The water was up to Toph's waist.

"Okay. Doesn't it feel nice?" Yeshi sat down in the water, letting go of Toph's hand.

"Hey? You're still there?" Toph reached out.

"Yes," Yeshi grabbed her hand. "Can't you feel me?" 

"Kind of. The water makes everything fuzzy. Like I can feel you through the earth. But I also feel all the water around you. It's weird." Toph said with a frown.

"Well, I'm not going to leave while we're in the water. Okay?"

"Okay."

Yeshi eventually coaxed Toph into chest-high water. The earthbender sank like a stone whenever she found the courage to lift her feet off the floor of the natural pool. Yeshi patiently tried to give swimming lessons, not that it helped.

"Wow, you really got Toph in the water!" Aang called.

"Eh, a little bit." Yeshi said. 

"If any of you dunderheads even think about splashing me, you'll regret it. Fair warning." Toph yelled. Yeshi playfully splashed in Toph's direction.

"Oh, sorry, was I a dunderhead too?" Yeshi laughed. 

"You weren't, but I think I'll add you to the list." Toph said. 

"Duly noted." Yeshi answered. 

The gang spent the majority of the day enjoying the water and deciding where they should go next. At Sokka's insistence that they couldn't waste anymore time, the gang looked at a map. 

“Why would we go there?” Katara whined. “We just came from that direction a couple days ago.” 

“We need to keep moving. Do you really think traveling so predictably is a good idea?” Sokka argued. “No one expects a zigzag!”

“Oh, so, we should just do whatever you think is best?” Katara crossed her arms.

“Yeah, kinda.” Sokka shrugged. Aang, Toph, and Yeshi stood on the sidelines, watching the two go back and forth. “If we had it your way Azula and her fire-nation-freak friends would have already found us.” As if to emphasize his point, a bolt of bright blue lightning shot into the middle of the group, scorching their map. 

The group screamed, scattering in all directions. Yeshi dove for the patch of woods to her left. Once she reached the tree line, she spun around to assess the threat. 

Three girls on eel hounds were making their way toward the group. She didn’t have any more time to take in the attackers because a flash of blue fire had just been thrown at her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reading the first Kyoshi book gave be motivation to write again! The book is awesome, I highly recommend it. Please let me know what you think of this chapter :)


	4. Chapter 4

Yeshi stared at the flame approaching her face. She reflexively brought her arms up to protect herself. As she covered her face, a large stone slab pulled itself up from the ground to shield her. Yeshi was stunned into a frozen shock, unsure of what just happened.

“Yeshi, move it!” Toph yelled. The Earthbender pushed pieces of the stone shield toward the quickly approaching firebender. Yeshi heeded the Earthbender’s orders but took the liberty of grabbing her by the arm before fleeing. 

“Hey!” Toph yelled. “You weren’t supposed to bring me!” Toph loudly protested and shot rock behind her as quickly as she could. 

Running deeper into the trees brought Yeshi face to face with Aang who was sending a blast of air into one of their attackers, knocking them back. The Water Tribe siblings came running from the opposite direction Yeshi and Toph had come. 

“Guys,” Yeshi drew out the word, spinning around to confirm her suspicions. They were now deeper in the trees. A steep cliff towered above them on two sides. The crashing sounds of people unfamiliar with the forest were coming closer. “They corralled us right into a trap.” 

“No they didn’t.” Toph declared. “There!” Toph pointed toward a thicket. “There’s a small cave back there.” Aang wasted no time, sending a blast of air to cut away at the barrier. Foliage and branches fell away and the group filed in. 

“Everyone stay quiet. But be ready for a fight.” Sokka said, readying his boomerang. The group backed into the furthest reaches of the small cave, hiding in the shadows. 

“Who even are these people?” Yeshi whispered to Toph. Toph quietly filled her in on the identity of the Fire Nation princess and how her and her friends were constantly after Aang.

Sokka had been right to warn everyone of a fight. The group remained still and silent in the shadows, hoping that maybe they’d still gone unnoticed. 

"Blah, blah, blah, go with us quietly Avatar and we won't hurt your friends. Or maybe we will. Who's really to say?" Azula taunted from the entrance of the cave. 

“Get ready, everyone.” At Sokka signal, Team Avatar leapt from the shadows.

The two groups sized each other up in the dim light of the cave. Aang took a deep breath. The Avatar lifted his staff into the air, ready to bring it down in a powerful blast of Airbending. But he was interrupted by a shrill screech from the opposing side. 

"Yeshi? Yeshi, is that you?" Ty Lee stepped forward. "It is you!" The fire nation girl rushed forward, only to be held back by Mai. "What are you doing with the Avat-". Ty Lee was cut off by Azula.

"Very good, Yeshi. You've done well in your mission. I honestly didn't think you'd be able to infiltrate the Avatar's group. But back down, your services are no longer needed. We'll take it from here." Azula said. 

The Avatar's group turned to Yeshi, preparing for a four on four fight. 

"What? It's not true!" Yeshi said. "I've never even met the fire nation princess."

"Oh, but you know her friends?" Sokka shot back. Sokka stared at Yeshi, silently begging for her to not be a part of the Fire Nation group. But Yeshi hesitated a moment too long.  
"Go ahead, go help your friends."

"They're not my friends!" Yeshi cried. "I'm telling the truth. I only want to help the Avatar."

"Please, Yeshi, no need to continue the lie." Azula said, unnervingly calm considering the circumstances.

"She's the one lying!" Yeshi yelled.

"They're both telling the truth." Toph yelled. 

"Or one of us is just a really good liar." Azula taunted. "Fine. Keep pretending. Don't worry, I would never attack a loyal Fire Nation citizen. But it will be hard to tell who's who with you on the wrong side and all." Azula made her point by shooting fire into the middle of the Avatar's group.

Action erupted as the two groups began battling, Yeshi stuck in the middle. Yeshi did her best to avoid firey blasts. Sokka, Katara, and Aang tensely watched the girl, unsure if she'd suddenly attack. Toph kept her back to Yeshi, defending her friend. 

Azula's attention was focused on Aang. She kicked blue flames at his face which he skillfully dodged. Mai sent daggers flying at Katara and Sokka. The Water Tribe siblings stood strong, Katara on the defensive and Sokka attacking with his trusty boomerang.

Ty Lee focused on Toph and Yeshi. Toph threw rocks in the girl's direction. But Ty Lee knew to stay high, hindering Toph's ability to see her.  
Ty Lee swiftly landed next to Toph, jabbing at her to make use of her signature technique, chi blocking. Toph fell to the ground, immobilized. Ty Lee ran up to Yeshi, enveloping her in a hug. 

"Yeshi! I haven't seen you in forever. How are you?" Ty Lee asked. Yeshi awkwardly wrapped an arm around Ty Lee. 

"Hi, Lee. I've been better." Yeshi answer. "Especially as it seems we're on opposite sides." Ty Lee hummed in agreement.

"Not really making a good case for yourself here." Toph called from a few feet away. Yeshi ignored her.

"Azula really wasn't telling the truth, was she?" Ty Lee asked. Yeshi shook her head no. "Well I'm not going to hurt you. How could I attack you?" Ty Lee gave Yeshi a final hug before Katara approached. 

Katara whipped water in Ty Lee's direction. The acrobat wasted no time in trying to incapacitate the Waterbender. 

"We trusted you!" Katara yelled in Yeshi's direction. The Waterbender was able to hold Ty Lee back for a short while, trying desperately to not allow her too close. But soon she fell  
next to Toph. "Aang, Sokka, help! Yeshi is one of them!" 

"What? No I'm not." Yeshi objected. 

"No, she's on our side. She's not lying." Toph said.

"Then why did Ty Lee leave her standing?" Katara yelled.

It didn't take long for Aang to show up. Not having time to listen to either side of the story, he used his Earthbending to pin Yeshi to the wall of the cave by her wrists.  
"We don't have time for this. We'll figure out whose who later." And with that, Aang jumped to help an endangered Sokka who was taking on Ty Lee and Mai single handedly.

"I told you, I'm on your side!" Yeshi yelled. She struggled to break free from the rock cuffs holding her in place to no avail. "Just because I know Ty Lee doesn't mean I'm Fire Nation."

"But you are, aren't you?" Katara yelled from her spot on the ground. Yeshi cringed but didn't have a chance to respond before Azula made herself known. 

"Oh she's definitely Fire Nation." Azula laughed. "Not much of a Firebender from what I hear. Not like you two." Azula approached the two benders on the ground. 

"Get away from them!" Yeshi shouted. Azula laughed and carefully watched as she approached Toph and Katara. She limply kicked Toph who could do nothing to retaliate.

"When I get my bending back I'm going to bury you!" Toph yelled. Azula chuckled and created a flame in the palm of her hand. She grabbed Toph by the collar of her shirt and brought her close.

"I know you can't see so I should tell you, I'm about a pebble's length away from permanently burning your face." Toph's face twisted in fear but she remained defiant.  
Katara began screaming for Aang and her brother. But the two were busy fighting Azula's friends. Mai and Ty Lee kept the pair from getting any closer to the fire nation princess.

Yeshi felt desperate. In an effort to do something, anything to save her friend, she placed the bottoms of her feet on the wall she was pinned to and kicked outward toward Azula. The motion created a ball of orange fire the size of Momo, the biggest Yeshi had ever created. It caught the princess off guard, causing her to drop Toph and stumble backwards a few feet. 

"Yeshi!" Toph yelled. The effects of Ty Lee's chi blocking were beginning to slowly wear off. Toph was able to lift her arm slightly, freeing Yeshi's wrists from the wall of the cave. Yeshi fell to the ground beneath her. Running to stand over Toph and Katara, Yeshi stood her ground. 

"Why, you little hog-weasel. Finally figured out how to make a spark, huh? Ty Lee always talks about you, her best friend, Yeshi. The poor bender who just couldn't figure out her element. Pathetic." Azula taunted.

"I've seemed to figure out a thing or two, wouldn't you say?" Yeshi countered. She knew she was nowhere near skilled enough to stand up to Azula for very long. She just needed to stall, bide her time until the Avatar could help. 

"Let's see what you know." Azula said. Raising her arm, Azula generated a massive fireball. She brought it downward, on top of Yeshi. The inexperienced Firebender lifted her arms and pushed. The heat of the inferno was intense and Yeshi felt as if she were trying to hold up the sun itself. 

Adrenaline fueled the young Firebender's resolve and she held back the flames. But Azula increased the intensity with ease, pushing past Yeshi's limits and badly burning her hands and forearms. 

Yeshi screamed in pain as the blue fire licked away at her flesh. Azula stopped her attack at the sound, wanting to take in her handiwork. 

"Well that wasn't very much at all. How boring." Azula said. Azula was so entirely focused on the young Firebender, she didn't notice the rock until it made contact with her stomach, knocking her back. 

Toph stood on wobbly legs in defense of her injured friend. At Azula's scream, Ty Lee and Mai made their way over. 

"Azula, are you okay?" Ty Lee said, offering her help, which the princess ignored. 

"Yeshi?" Ty Lee yelled. This time, the acrobat escaped her friend's grasp and landed gracefully next to Yeshi. "Are you okay? She really hurt you." Ty Lee cried, reaching out a hand that did not register with the badly injured Yeshi. 

Ty Lee jumped back as rock and air advanced upon her. Aang sent a whirlwind at Azula's group, giving the gang a bit of time to regroup.

"Katara, are you okay?" Sokka, who looked like he had wounds of his own, helped his sister up as the effects of chi blocking were slowly wearing off. 

"Toph, get Yeshi. Sokka, get Katara and everyone get out of here. I'll finish this." Aang yelled. Sokka and Toph did as they were told. Sokka picked up his younger sister and made his way toward Appa. 

"Yeshi, can you stand?" Toph asked. Without looking up, Yeshi nodded. Toph gently guided her wounded friend toward the bison. Appa must have successfully scared off the Eel Hounds that the princess had arrived on as they were nowhere to be seen. Toph used Earthbending to lift the pair up into Appa's saddle since climbing up wouldn't be an option.

"Katara, Yeshi is hurt. Can you bend?" Toph asked. Katara lifted water from her pouch but instantly dropped it.

"My chi is still blocked."

A loud crash erupted from the mouth of the cave. Aang came rushing toward his bison, gliding up onto his head. 

"Appa, yip, yip!" Aang called. Appa roared in response and began ascending. 

"Are they still after us?" Sokka asked.

"We'll be fine for a while. I trapped them inside the cave." Aang answered. A few minutes of silence passed as the group took in what just happened.

"Katara, how about now?" Toph said, her arm around her friend. Yeshi was holding her hands out in front of her, quietly sobbing at the pain.  
Katara moved without a word, pulling water from her pouch. This time, she was able to continue. The relief was instantaneous. Yeshi's cries subsided as she watched the redness of her hands leave.

"This is going to take awhile to heal. I'll keep trying. We can stop at the next town we see for some medicine and more bandages. I'll clean your wounds there but then you'll have to find someone else to help you." Katara said. Yeshi stared at the Waterbender in confusion, her recent trauma not allowing her body to form words. 

"What? You've never healed a burn before?" Toph asked.

"Of course I have. But this will take weeks to heal. And we're dropping her off at the next town we see." Katara said, refusing to make eye contact with Yeshi.

"What?" Toph said, shocked. "No we aren't." 

"She's Fire Nation, Toph." Sokka said. "Apparently personal friends with the royal family!"

"The royal family did this!" Toph shouted, pointing at Yeshi's hands. "Katara, she saved our lives!" Sensing the beginnings of a heated argument, Yeshi finally spoke.

"Toph, don't." Yeshi moved to grab the Earthbender's arm but her injuries prevented it. "I'll do whatever the group wants. I'm not here to cause trouble. I came to help the Avatar but it seems I am no longer being helpful." 

"Well these two bozos aren't the Avatar! They don't get to decide what's helpful to him." The Water Tribe siblings scoffed but were silent as the group's attention turned entirely to Aang.

"Well, twinkle toes, what'll it be? Abandon the injured person who saved the lives of your bending masters?" Toph huffed, as stubborn as ever. 

"Aang, we can't trust the Fire Nation. They took away everything from us, your people, my mother." Katara paused. "We especially can't trust anyone with connections so close to the Fire Lord himself. Am I the only one who saw Ty Lee hug her?" Katara argued. 

"Ty Lee is my cousin. We grew up together. That is my association with her, nothing nefarious." Yeshi said.

"Oh, like that helps." Sokka scoffed.

Aang, who had his back turned to the group, finally spoke. "So why do you want to help me?"

"What?" Yeshi asked.

"Everyone in the Fire Nation worships the Fire Lord and believes in the superiority of the Fire Nation. That's why we're in this war, right?" Aang asked with urgency. His gentle spirit was fighting to be on the side that would help the young Firebender. "So why would you turn your back on your nation like that? Why would you fight against the Fire Nation?"

"Because I'm only half Fire Nation." Yeshi answered.

"Well, obviously. We found you in the Earth Kingdom, right? Half fire, half earth." Toph said. 

"Actually, I'm half Air Nomad." Yeshi said. The entire group turned to face her this time, including Aang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looking back at this chapter, it's got major Day of Black Sun vibes. I really enjoying writing this chapter. Please let me know what you think if you got this far :)

**Author's Note:**

> Please feel free to comment :) currently working on the next chapter


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